By all definitions, I am a puritan-- not a very good one, mind you, but a puritan nonetheless. When I took on the title of Reformed about a year-and-a-half ago, I didn't quite realize the implications of such a move. Although it has centuries of historical backing and sixty-six books of biblical support, it has placed me within the ranks of a proud but definite minority. The numbers within our ranks are growing, however, on college campuses, in house churches and even in the established mainstream. That is why I think that it is important to address evangelical fundamentalist America now.

First, I should go ahead and say the dirty little word that stirs up so much controversy when I dare utter it among the non-Reformed: Calvinism.

Yes, I am a Calvinist; no, I wish you wouldn't call me one. To admit to being a Calvinist is to invite instant enmity from strangers, and, as I have found, to make instant enemies. I used to enjoy spending an afternoon or evening with friends, tossing around theology over a cup of coffee or glass of iced tea. Even if we couldn't agree, we could still get along.

Over the last several months, though, proverbial lines have been drawn in the sand, and I am growing weary of having to defend myself from people that I don't even know. I have met a few exemplary individuals who, though they disagree with me, have managed to be cordial and even intellectually stimulating, but the vast majority of the people who have brought up the subject have been hostile and even dismissive without even hearing what I have to say.

I don't dismiss someone as a semi-pelagian papist swine or a dirty Arminian heretic worthy of Severitus's death when they tell me that they disagree with any one or all of the points of Calvinism. I don't assume to know everything that they believe after a few surface comments, and I would appreciate it if more people would reciprocate the favor; there is more to what I believe than the TULIP.

I know that there are Reformed folks who have developed a kind of superiority complex, and I admit that I take a great pride in what I believe. Please understand that there is a thin line between being proud of what you believe and being arrogant; for any arrogance that you may have encountered, I apologize, but for adamantly standing on what I see as correct doctrine, I do not.

There is a point that I must make very clear-- we Reformed folk do not believe in the idea of "soul-competency." I can find no biblical basis for the idea that we have the right to believe anything that we want, and frankly, I find the idea repulsive. The Bible is objective; the Truth contained within does not change with personal interpretation. There is one objective truth that can be applied to all sorts of situations, but the Bible says the same thing to all individuals.

This is part of the reason that we are so adamant about what we believe-- we want to correct corrupted doctrine. Our rallying cry is semper reformanda (always reforming), and it does not just apply to other people. We try to correct areas where we have strayed from the truth-- reformation starts on the personal level before it can be applied to the corporate. Hopefully, our motive in correcting error is love. I know that this is not always true, but I also want you to understand that the vast majority of us are not trying to model Calvin or Luther's militancy. When we assert or defend our beliefs, it is not just to win a debate or shut up the opposition; it is an honest effort to share and spread what we see as truth.

Now, there is a move that must be made for us to come to an understanding: we have to cut away the rhetoric.

First, I believe in election; second, I believe in evangelism. The two are not mutually exclusive. The folks who do not believe in evangelism because of election fall into a cult-like camp that has been labeled "hyper-Calvinism," and they are just as far from the pale of orthodoxy as those who disagree with the Reformed outright.

Evangelism is commanded of us by Christ Himself; to ignore that command would be a direct insult to God. While we believe that God has sovereignly decided to bestow his graceful mercy on a few of these depraved creatures who all deserve damnation, to elect them to salvation, and that we do not know who they are until after their regeneration, which is evidenced by the fruit that they bear with their lives. While we do not believe that we actually "lead the lost to the Lord," we do believe that He uses us as his tools to lead others to realize their election. We are His tools, and we believe that He works through us-- our approach to missions is not radically different. We share the love of Christ with the lost, and when one of them accepts his gracious gift of grace through faith, we rejoice. Calvinism may change the way that you view your role in mission work, but it does not give you an excuse to sit back stoically and watch the world go to Hell.

I can understand why some people are leery of creedology (I was raised Southern Baptist), and I can understand why some people would object to my views on the covenant; I will not, however, bow to the first person spouting the no-creed-but-Christ mantra (which is itself a creed), or to some dispensationalist accusing me of anti-Semitism. No Reformed person makes the claim that simply saying a creed saves a person; instead, we trust that the person affirming the creed is sincere, and we identify with them as our brother in Christ. Tangentially, I would probably have a real problem with someone who does not affirm The Apostles Creed* or The Nicene Creed. Creedology does have its place.

Covenant theology does not place the emphasis on the modern nation-state of Israel that dispensationalism does; the chosen people of God, under the New Covenant, are the believers in Christ. The Old Testament Jews were his chosen, and we will celebrate eternity with our Israelite brothers, but we have to acknowledge that, with the coming of Christ, the Mosiac covenant was fulfilled. Under the New Covenant, we are chosen along with those who were chosen under the Old Covenant. The Old, however, having been fulfilled, does not apply to modern Judaism; it only applies to those who were under it. This doesn't mean that I hate Jews or think that sharing the gospel with them is second to sharing with the Gentiles; it means that I believe that they are just as lost as every other sinner in the world.

I am writing this in an attempt to reach out to my non-Reformed brothers and sisters, to try to explain that I do not view them as lesser Christians than myself; rather, it is a reach out to them to view me as an equal. Too often I have been told that I was wrong without being told why I was wrong; I have heard ministers dismiss what I believe as "bad theology" without showing me what they believe good theology is, and I have had lay people become belligerent with me without trying to correct what they perceive to be error.

This is an appeal for rational discussion, to go back to those calm discussions over coffee. I don't want to debate Calvinism over the internet, and frankly, I don't have the time. Please don't try to debate with me via e-mail. Instead, approach the Reformed people that you know with respect, and engage them in open discussion. Even if they do not convince you of what we believe to be the truth, if both sides of the debate stay civil, you will come to an understanding that will make it easier to relate to them in the future.

Remember, even if we never come to an agreement, we are brothers and sisters in Christ, and we should treat each other as such. That is all that I ask.